DANCE

“ BEFORE MAN CAN DO ANYTHING, HE MUST DRAW BREATH,

HE MUST MOVE. MOVEMENT IS THE SOURCE AND
CONDITION OF LIFE. TO DANCE IS TO BE OUT OF YOURSELF.
LARGER, MORE BEAUTIFUL, MORE POWERFUL. THIS IS
POWER, IT IS GLORY ON EARTH AND IT IS YOURS FOR THE
TAKING.”

---AGNES DE MILLE (1963)

DANC
E
•is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body‚ often
rhythmic and to music. It is performed in many cultures as a form of
emotional expression‚ social interaction‚ or exercise‚ in a spiritual or
performance setting‚ and is sometimes used to express ideas or tell
a story.
•Reasons of Dance:
•to please the gods
•to please others
•to please themselves or self-expression
•to build community within an ethnic group or social interaction.
 HISTORY:

• Archaeology
delivers traces of dance from
prehistoric times such as the
30,000-year-old Bhimbetka
rock shelters paintings in India and
Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures
from 3300 BC.
 EARLY DANCE:

• Means of social
communication
• In ceremonies and rituals
• As a method of healing
• As a method of expression
•Indian classical dance
dance is the Natya
Shastra on which it is
based the modern
interpretation of
classical Indian dance.
SHIVA AS NATARAJA
(LORD OF DANCE
China
COURTSHIP
Chinese traditional
dances are the dragon
dance and
DETAILS FROM COPIES OF A 10TH-CENTURY
lion dance. PAINTING "NIGHT REVELS OF HAN XIZAI" BY
GU HONGZHONG, DEPICTING A DANCER
PERFORMING A DANCE KNOWN IN THE TANG
DYNASTY
 EUROPE
• 18th and 19th centuries:
Romanticism
- ballet developed throughout
Europe, from a courtly
arrangement of moving images
used as part of a larger spectacle, to a
performance art in its own right: the ballet d'
action.
Early 20th century
Contemporary dance
period of breaking away
from everything that ballet
stood for.
a time of unprecedented
creative growth, for
dancers and choreographers.
a time of shock, surprise and broadening of minds for the
public, in terms of their
 THE LATE 20TH AND EARLY 21ST
CENTURIES
• Postmodernism veered towards
simplicity, the beauty of small things, the
beauty of untrained body, and
unsophisticated movement.
 BENEFITS OF DANCE:
PHYSICAL
• develop cardiovascular and muscular endurance
• improves coordination‚ balance‚ flexibility‚ and body
composition.
• lower risk of cardiovascular diseases
• lower body mass index
• enables joint mobility( hip motion and spine flexibility.
 MENTAL / EMOTIONAL
• helps keep the brain sharp
• decreases incidence of dementia and alzheimer’s disease.
• decreases depressive symptoms
• increase self-esteem and improves body image
• aids in releasing emotional and physical tension.
CULTURAL
• promote cultural values
 SOCIAL
• gives sense of togetherness within a group
• encourages positive social interaction and
interpersonal relationship in a group
• contribute to the individual’s potential for self-
actualization in society.
ELEMENTS OF DANCE
 IT IS THE INSTRUMENT OF DANCE.
JUST AS A PAINTER PAINTS
WITH BRUSH‚ IN DANCE IT IS
THROUGH THE BODY THAT
MOVEMENTS APPEAR.
BODILY SHAPES
• It refers to how the entire body is
molded in space or the configuration
of body parts.
a.Symmetrical – balanced shape:
movements practically identical or
similar in both sides.
b. Asymmetrical – unbalanced shape;
movements of two sides of the body
do not match or completely different
from each other.
SPACE - this is the area the performers occupy and where they
move.

 Different aspects/ Spatial elements.

a. direction – dance movements can travel in any direction.
b. size - movements can be varied by doing larger or
smaller actions.
c. level - movements can be done in a high, medium or
low level.
d. focus - performers may change their focus by looking
at different directions.
TIMIN
G
• Qualities of Dance Energies:
a. Sustained- movements are done smoothly,
continuously, and with flow and control. It does not
have a clear beginning and ending.

b. Percussive - movements are explosive or sharp in

contrast with sustained movements. They have a clear
beginning and ending.

c. Vibratory - movements consist of trembling or

shaking.
d. Swinging - movements trace a curved line or
an arc in space. The movements are relaxed
and giving in to gravity on the downward part
of the motion, followed by an upward
application of energy.
e. Suspended – movements are perched in
space or hanging on air.
f. Collapsing – movements are released in
tension and gradually or abruptly giving in to
gravity, letting descend to the floor. A slow
collapse can be described as a melting.
 BALLROOM DANCE

• Is a set of partner dance which are enjoyed both socially and

competitively around the world.
• it is widely enjoyed not only in gatherings, stage, film, and
television.
Purpose: recreation Ballroom dancing = ball
entertainment Latin word “ballare” = to dance
Ballroom dancing applies to any of the several dances in
which two individuals, a leader and follower, dance with
physical contact or move freely and just follow the rhythmic
pattern present in the music.
THE FOLLOWING ARE
CLASSIFIED AS
BALLROOM DANCES:
• Cha cha * Samba
• Tango * Merengue
• Swing * Mambo
• Waltz * Foxtrot
• Rumba * La Cumbia
• LA Walk * Rock and
Roll
HISTORY
•4
4
4
4

• It is a ballroom dance
style that originated in
the United States from
African-Americans. It is
lively form of swing
dance, and a variation of
the Jitterbug.